A resurgent Barcelona on Thursday travelled to Frankfurt for the first leg of their UEFA Europa League quarter-final tie, but was held by the home side for a 1-1 draw in an exhilarating match that saw considerable drama.

Barcelona started the stronger side and fashioned an early chance, but Eintracht Frankfurt keeper Kevin Trapp pulled off a brilliant save from Ferran Torres to keep the score level.

Minutes later, Frankfurt had a golden opportunity to take an early lead, but Djibril Sow put his shot disappointingly wide of the Barcelona goal.

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As the match crossed the 30-minute mark and headed towards half-time, Frankfurt’s Rafael Santos Borré looked like he was fouled by Sergio Busquets in the Barcelona penalty area, leading to urgent calls for a penalty.

However, a VAR check revealed that Busquets got the ball, dashing Frankfurt’s hopes of a spot kick.

The half ended level despite chances for both sides, leading to another drama-packed half.

Minutes into the second half, in the 48th minute, the home side broke the deadlock through an Ansgar Knauff half-volley that was rifled into the top corner.

Frankfurt’s goal momentarily took the sting out of Barcelona, but several substitutions later, the Blaugrana struck back through Ferran Torres after an impressive spell of link-up play in the 66th minute.

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Ten minutes of sparring later, Frankfurt centre-back Tuta, who was already on a yellow, received his second booking of the game, resulting in his dismissal.

With a one-man advantage, Barcelona pressed to get a winner as the clocked ticked down but were unable to break the deadlock as a stubborn Frankfurt held on.

The match finished 1-1, setting up a exciting return leg at the Camp Nou, scheduled to be played next week on April 13.